According to the conventional technique, a plate of large dimensions to be machined is placed on a bench or automatic feeding surface in a machine set upstream of the workstation.
In the known solutions, the plate is made to translate on the bench to be supplied to a workstation for machining the plate. During the operation of translation of the plate towards the workstation, the plate may not follow its theoretical path and may shift with respect to the desired position and orientation, consequently assuming a real position that departs from the ideal theoretical position. Hence, at the end of the operation of transfer of the plate, the latter is located in the workstation in a position different from the desired position.
Consequently, at present, in the workstation means are provided for repositioning the plate according to the ideal reference lines. In particular, the plate that arrives in the proximity of the theoretical machining position is first of all repositioned, to get the plate to be located at the machining origin known by the workstation.
In particular, it is necessary for the edges of the plate to be positioned in a precise way on the reference axes X0 and Y0 of the working surface that define the position of start of machining. Consequently, in current workstations automatic positioning means are provided that envisage motor-driven servos or alternative means that enable correct initial repositioning of the plate before start of the machining operation.
The above drawback is not negligible in so far as the plates of glass, stone, or marble to be machined in these workstations frequently present a considerable size and weight. This entails a greater structural complexity of the workstation and a costly tooling of the bench.